4-year-old girl with multiple illnesses needs surgery

Anndie Marie Velasquez

MANILA, Philippines — When the emergency room doctor told Maria Angelita Lawas on July 7 that prayers were the only hope left for her daughter who was given a 50-50 chance of survival, the 23-year-old mother went off the deep end.

“[The doctor] told me that whatever happens, I must accept it,” Lawas said, adding that she felt bad when the doctor seemed doubtful about whether her daughter, Anndie Marie Velasquez, would ever wake up again.

The 4-year-old girl who had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, focal epilepsy, microcephaly and global developmental delay, was rushed to the hospital after she suffered an hourlong seizure while her blood pressure dropped to zero.

Although the doctor’s prognosis proved to be wrong, Velasquez ended up with kidney and liver failure, requiring her to be placed on more maintenance medicines.

Lawas, a single mother of two, spends P20,000 for her daughter’s treatment each month. Velasquez also needs to undergo a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) operation, in which a feeding tube will be inserted through her stomach for food consumption.

The procedure will cost around P110,000, including the PEG kit that will be bought from abroad, Lawas said.

The family’s only source of income is Lawas’ earnings from online selling. At times, she asks for help from relatives.

“I hope people will help Anndie so she can already go through the PEG operation. It would be a great help for her because she would not be at risk of having pneumonia anymore,” a tearful Lawas told the Inquirer in an interview.

Donations can be made through Maria Angelita Lawas’ BPI account no. 6836272887. She can be contacted at 0965-7552570.